SOME of the world’s rarest birds are a step closer to being saved from extinction, thanks to a project led by a wildlife worker from the North East.

Nigel Jarrett, from East Boldon in South Tyneside, is spearheading a project to increase numbers of spoon-billed sandpipers, which has seen its population plunge by 90% in the last 10 years.

Only 200 pairs of the waders are now thought to exist in the wild – but that number has now been boosted by 13 by Nigel and a team of biologists who made a 4,300-mile trip to Russia.

Eggs found by the experts were carefully hatched in special facilities on site close to the tundra before the tiny young chicks were transported to Moscow.

After a period in Moscow Zoo, the birds were flown to Heathrow then transferred inside cushioned and insulated boxes to quarantine buildings at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Gloucestershire, where Nigel is head of conservation breeding for the trust.

This week saw the 13 birds take their first steps out of quarantine and into their purpose-built quarters, replete with vegetation and heat lamps.

Mr Jarrett, head of conservation breeding at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), said: “These birds would normally range from the frozen Arctic to tropical coastal wetlands in South-East Asia and despite being held in unnatural surroundings they have done very well.

“The new site at WWT’s headquarters at Slimbridge is purpose-built and a little larger than the quarantine area. It is crucial we keep it warm because at this stage in the birds’ lives they’d normally be in the tropics.

“In some ways we’re going into the unknown now but every day that passes is a success. The priority is to keep the birds alive and healthy so they can breed.”

Nigel, who started out as a volunteer at Washington WWT when he was just 11 years old, is now monitoring the purpose-built area for the birds, where they receive 24-hour care.

CCTV cameras are enabling trust staff to watch the birds constantly and footage from the cameras is also being broadcast on public screens – and the captive flock are causing quite a stir for birders all over the world who are eagerly following their progress.

This isn’t the first time Mr Jarrett has gone to extreme lengths to help precious species.

Four years ago, he led the Great Crane Project, which saw his days dressed as a giant parent crane to help raise six chicks.

By playing mother to the chicks so authentically he taught the feathered bundles to paddle, fly, catch food and avoid predators in his bid to bring the Crane back to the UK some 400 years after they were wiped out.

In some ways we’re going into the unknown now but every day that passes is a success